Rewards...spa pedicure, a purchase and a patio meal.

How is your week going?

Are you having a good one?

Mine is ticking along nicely...

lots of walks

a good book on the go

the sun has been shining

BUT wouldn't you know it...

the scale is stuck at 141

Pink McCartney roses

and my latest OPI painted toes...

"A Rose at Dawn, Broke by Noon"

Spring and summer pedicures are a must for me during sandal season.

They are a wonderful experience and I feel very pampered when I have one.

~ Pure luxury ~

  

This shade of pink is so pretty and fresh.

 I am tempted to buy a bottle and do my fingernails too.

While staying within my WW daily point count I try to find some non food rewards that help me stay on track.

Little things (rewards) that keep me on the straight and narrow.

Meeting up with my daughter for a day of fun.

I bought this wee engraved silver jug at the thrift shop 

when darling daughter and I went to Sidney earlier in the week.

It is tarnished but I plan to keep it in this state as I like how it looks.

Most of my silver gets regular polishing but this little antique jug just looks so pretty with this patina.

We opted to have lunch at The Brentwood Bay Pub on the sun filled patio.

Kale, quinoa and chicken salad with orange segments 

with orange juice dressing.

Beautiful presentation

tasty

satisfying

 it kept me fuelled until dinnertime.

We purchased an arts and crafts quarter sawn oak table to sit between two of our chairs in The Humble Bungalow living room.

We never seem to have enough space for our guests to put their drinks.

"Someone" is giving it a once over...

Chester looks like he approves!

Anyone on Blogger having issues with their posts being delayed getting to the blog feed?

I have not figured out what is happening to my blog and it has been going on for over a month.

I hit publish it in the morning but it does not appear on the feed until late afternoon.

I am tech challenged and wondering if I need to hire someone to help me sort out the glitches.

Also the blogger spell check is not working either...

If anyone knows what i need to do I would appreciate you letting me know.

Thank you!

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

On a sunny Sunday we gathered...

I picked Jude the Obscure roses from our Humble Bungalow Garden

for the party.

Popped them in an icy modernist vase from Finland.

Picked some limelight hydrangeas for the centrepiece in a heritage tea house

set them on the table in a vintage enamel jug

placed the photograph in front

waited for the guests to arrive.

Sunday was memorable

as it was a celebration for the newlyweds.

a lovely venue 

in the garden of dear friends 

a vast green lawn

magnificent perennial borders

vintage lamps and lighting

with views to the garden beyond...

wicker chairs

plump cushions

colourful bunting strung from the rafters

food 

family

friends

boccee ball

children running about

blowing bubbles

laughter

conversation

The lovely couple...

Darling daughter and our son in law...

welcome to the family!

Feeling such gratitude and joy...

spending time with family 

there is no better way that I know of to feel the beauty of love.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Week #2...and it is slow going.

Dining out this week and counting WW points has been a bit of a challenge.
I am not expecting the scale to budge at all, I just hope it will not go up!

Bistro lunches, a pub dinner, a garden party and a BBQ...
and wine!
( to burn off the points from one glass of wine I need to walk briskly for 5km!)

The view from The Oak Bay Beach Hotel where we celebrated Mr. HB's birthday.

The sun was setting in the west and this eastern exposure turned a soft pink shade.

The hot tubs were obviously "too hot" to use in this weather.

We drove home via the scenic route and stopped at King George Terrace lookout to take a picture of the golden sunset.

My walking route 

warm and bathed in sunlight about 8:30 in the morning.

The heat was increasing as I walked and I am so glad that I opted to do the 5km early rather than later...

Quite a few walkers and joggers were out and about...

the sea was calm and the air still.

This is part of the route that the Tour de Victoria cyclists peddled their bikes along...

I don't own a bike but have been looking longingly in the window of the Fairfield Bicycle Shop

The Pashley bikes from the UK are on display in their window

British Racing Green and Fire Engine Red

what would I choose?

And it absolutely MUST have a wicker basket!

The Humble Bungalow Garden is chock full of blooms.
A riot of of roses and loads of mop head limelight hydrangeas...

We are having a heat wave and the intense heat affects my energy level.

Despite drinking lots of lemonade and iced tea I feel rather sluggish.

We are not used to high temperatures and there has been very little in the way of cooling ocean breezes... 

We have kept the blinds closed and opened most of the windows a crack... 

(so that the cats do not escape)

I am totally absorbed with this new novel.

Sitting in a Morris Chair in The Humble Bungalow living room keeping cool

is not a bad way to spend a hot afternoon.

A dip in a pool would be nice...

but I will make due with a refreshing shower.

How was your weekend?

Have you got a good book that you can recommend?

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Week #1 a challenge....

Week #1

It has been a hot week so I have had to go out walking earlier in the morning.

I wear my hat and take a bottle of Perrier with me.

I managed to walk 50 minutes on 5 of the days 

 1 1/2 hours on two other occasions with a friend.

Two lunches out this week with friends gave me the opportunity to study the items offered and try to make some sensible choices from the menus.

Tossed green salad with eggs on Monday and water

celebrating a reunion of former co-workers.

3 small appetizer sized Fish tacos on small corn tortillas 

the day I met and walked 1 1/2 hours with a friend.

(the fish was fried and about the size of an egg on each taco served with oodles of sliced cabbage and mango with a very small amount of dressing)

Eating a higher point count lunch

meant that I would need to eat a lower point count dinner to keep within my WW daily range.

I have been satisfied with meals and have not had any snacks.

 Homemade lemonade has been my go to drink this week to keep hydrated.

I made a tasty stir fry one night for dinner.

Green and yellow peppers

zucchini

mushrooms

onions

thinly sliced lean chicken breasts

hoisin sauce

 rice

I opted for only 1/2 cup of rice to keep my point count down.

I chew my food slowly

putting my fork and knife down between bites to take longer dining.

The messages that are sent to our brain that register our fullness take time.

Are you making your mealtimes as attractive as possible?

Are you sitting at the table focusing on the food and the table setting

instead of eating in front of the TV?

Kathleen Tessaro has a new novel out and I am really enjoying it.

I love her books...The Perfume Collector was so well written.

Please feel free to leave a comment and tell us how your week is going.

What are you reading?

Are you having any challenges with the weight loss challenge?

Have you been pleasantly surprised by the read out on the scale?

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Gratitude...

The attitude of gratitude has been a huge influence on how I view life.

It has helped me gain perspective

feel joy

and taught me to be content.

Our bungalow has been a "gift" in so many ways.

We have embarked on many projects over the years to improve and maintain 

the interior and exterior in the historic arts and crafts style.

I had to learn to be patient as all the projects took time and money.

Time and patience have afforded me the opportunity to weed out and prioritize what is most important and helped me to figure out what I really wanted to focus on next.

I have been lusting after linen bedding for several years...

linen as you may already know is not an inexpensive undertaking.

I saved up for several months to purchase sheets and a duvet cover with shams.

When I found these at Lands" End on sale at 20% off I quickly placed my order.

We plan to redo our bedroom and build in a closet with drawers and doors.

The room is small and we plan to use wainscotting and paint the walls white.

The floor is dark fir and the bed and side tables are dark oak.

Blue and mocha will fit right in...

We slept on the linen bedding this week and I can say that I am so happy with the comfort and coziness of the sheets and they will just get softer with every washing.

Chester and Pepper are enjoying playing in the boxes...

I leave them in the kitchen on the floor for a few days as they love them so much.

How is your week going?

Are you following along with the new eating regime?

Have you been walking every day?

My leg muscles are a wee bit sore after amping up the pace on my walks.

  The scale is not rapidly reflecting my new habits but I am not discouraged

as it is going in the right direction!

Try not to be obsessive about weighing every day.

I know the temptation is there...

when you do step on the scale do it at the same time every day

and try to wear the same clothes so you get an accurate reading.

( you may want to weigh in wearing only your "birthday suit")

Remember to drink lots of water.

Hope that you have some fun activities planned for the weekend.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~